Æthelwald Moll was

King of ''King Of...'' is a British comedy panel show that aired on Channel 4 from 17 June to 8 July 2011. The show was hosted by Claudia Winkleman Claudia Anne Irena Winkleman (born 15 January 1972) is an English broadcaster and writer. She has be ...

Northumbria Northumbria () was an early medieval Heptarchy, kingdom in what is now Northern England and Scottish Lowlands, South Scotland. The name derives from the Old English meaning "the people or province north of the Humber", as opposed to the Sout ...

, the historic

petty kingdom A petty kingdom is a kingdom described as minor or "petty" (from the French 'petit' meaning small) by contrast to an empire or unified kingdom that either preceded or succeeded it (e.g. the numerous kingdoms of Anglo-Saxon England unified into t ...

Angles Angles most commonly refers to: *Angles (tribe), a Germanic-speaking people that took their name from the Angeln cultural region in Germany *Angle, a geometric figure formed by two rays meeting at a common point Angles may also refer to: Places ...

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

England, from 759 to 765. He seized power after the murder of Oswulf son of Eadberht; his ancestry and connection to the royal family of Northumbria is unknown. Æthelwald faced at least one rebellion, led by Oswine, perhaps a brother of Oswulf. In 765 a

Witenagemot The witan () was the king's council in the Anglo-Saxon government of England from before the 7th century until the 11th century. It comprised important noblemen, including ealdormen, thegns, and bishops. Meetings of the witan were sometimes ...

of Northumbrian notables deposed Æthelwald and replaced him with Alhred, a kinsman of his predecessor. After his removal from the throne Æthelwald became a monk, perhaps involuntarily. Æthelwald's marriage with one Æthelthryth is recorded in 762 at Catterick by

Symeon of Durham __NOTOC__ Symeon (or Simeon) of Durham (fl. c.1090 to c. 1128 ) was an English chronicler and a monk of Durham Priory. Biography Symeon was a Benedictine monk at Durham Cathedral at the end of the eleventh century. He may have been one of 23 mo ...

. He is known to have had at least one son, Æthelred, who later became king.

Origins

Æthelwald is not recorded in the extant genealogies of Northumbrian kings, perhaps because he was not a descendant of Ida and the

Bernicia Bernicia () was an Anglo-Saxon kingdom established by Anglian settlers of the 6th century in what is now southeastern Scotland and North East England. The Anglian territory of Bernicia was approximately equivalent to the modern English cou ...

n kings. Whether he was a descendant of the

Deira Deira ( ; Old Welsh/ or ; or ) was an area of Post-Roman Britain, and a later Anglian kingdom. Etymology The name of the kingdom is of Brythonic origin, and is derived from the Proto-Celtic , meaning 'oak' ( in modern Welsh), in which case ...

n dynasty of Ælle, or simply a member of a powerful noble family, is unknown. It is likely that he is to be identified with the ''patrician'' Moll, recorded in the reign of King Eadberht, to whom Eadberht and his brother Ecgbert, Archbishop of York, granted the monasteries of Stonegrave,

Coxwold Coxwold is a village and civil parish in the county of North Yorkshire, England, in the North York Moors National Park. It is 18 miles north of York and is where the Rev. Laurence Sterne wrote '' A Sentimental Journey''. History The villag ...

, and Donaemuthe, all in modern

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...

. These had belonged to Moll's brother, Abbot Forthred.

Reign

On 24 July 759, King Oswulf was murdered by members of his own household. The regicide was "a crime in which Æthelwald may very well have been involved." Æthelwald was crowned

King of Northumbria Northumbria, a kingdom of Angles (tribe), Angles, in what is now northern England and Lothian, south-east Scotland, was initially divided into two kingdoms: Bernicia and Deira. The two were first united by King Æthelfrith around the year 604, an ...

on 5 August 759. His reign was not unopposed. The continuator of

Bede Bede (; ; 672/326 May 735), also known as Saint Bede, Bede of Jarrow, the Venerable Bede, and Bede the Venerable (), was an English monk, author and scholar. He was one of the most known writers during the Early Middle Ages, and his most f ...

's ''

Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum The ''Ecclesiastical History of the English People'' (), written by Bede in about AD 731, is a history of the Christian Churches in England, and of England generally; its main focus is on the growth of Christianity. It was composed in Latin, and ...

'' reports the death of a certain Oswine in 761. The ''

Anglo-Saxon Chronicle The ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'' is a collection of annals in Old English, chronicling the history of the Anglo-Saxons. The original manuscript of the ''Chronicle'' was created late in the ninth century, probably in Wessex, during the reign of ...

'' and Symeon of Durham's ''Historia Regum'' supply more details, recording that Oswine, "a most noble

ætheling Ætheling (; also spelt aetheling, atheling or etheling) was an Old English term (''æþeling'') used in Anglo-Saxon England to designate princes of the royal dynasty who were eligible for the kingship. The term is an Old English and Old Saxon ...

", was killed fighting against Æthelwald on 6 August 761 in the Eildon Hills. Æthelwald was deposed on 30 October 765, apparently by a council of noblemen and prelates held at ''Pincanheale'', an important site used for two later Northumbrian church councils. According to the Irish ''

Annals of Tigernach The ''Annals of Tigernach'' (Abbreviation, abbr. AT, ) are chronicles probably originating in Clonmacnoise, Ireland. The language is a mixture of Latin language, Latin and Old Irish, Old and Middle Irish. Many of the pre-historic entries come f ...

'', Æthelwald was tonsured. He was succeeded as king by Eadberht's son-in-law Alhred.

Descendants

Æthelwald's marriage with one Æthelthryth is recorded in 762 at Catterick by

. They are known to have had at least one son, Æthelred, who later became king. It is presumed, on

onomastic Onomastics (or onomatology in older texts) is the study of proper names, including their etymology, history, and use. An ''alethonym'' ('true name') or an ''orthonym'' ('real name') is the proper name of the object in question, the object of onom ...

grounds, that the Moll "slain by the urgent command of King

Eardwulf Eardwulf or Eardulf is an Anglo-Saxon male name. Notable people with the name include: * Eardwulf of Northumbria, (floruit late 8th/early 9th century), ruler of Northumbria * Eardwulf of Kent (floruit middle 8th century), ruler of Kent * Eardwulf ...

" was a kinsman of Æthelwald Moll.Kirby, p.156, Symeon of Durham, p. 461.

Notes

References

* * D.P. Kirby
''The Earliest English Kings.''
London: Unwin Hyman, 1991. * John Marsden
''Northanhymbre Saga: The History of the Anglo-Saxon Kings of Northumbria.''
London: Cathie, 1992. * * Ann Williams

Basingstoke: Macmillan, 1999. * Barbara Yorke

London: Seaby, 1990.

External links

* ; see also {{DEFAULTSORT:Aethelwald Moll Of Northumbria Anglo-Saxon warriors Northumbrian monarchs 8th-century English monarchs